Halifax Shipyard takes big delivery

The special-purpose cargo ship Onego St. Petersburg, right, sits at Richmond Terminal on Wednesday. The ship arrived in Halifax on Tuesday night with a couple of bridge cranes which will be used as part of the shipbuilding program at Irving’s Halifax Shipyard. (RYAN TAPLIN / Staff)

Some marvels of engineering met for the first time and danced together on the Halifax waterfront Wednesday, compliments of Irving Shipbuilding Inc. and the Halifax Port Authority.

Special-purpose cargo ship Onego St. Petersburg, out of Houston, arrived Tuesday evening with a couple of massive bridge cranes manufactured in that Texas city by Konecranes. The powerful and sophisticated heavy-lifting units will play a critical role in the shipbuilding program at Irving’s Halifax Shipyard.

It was the first cargo to arrive at the Port of Halifax Richmond Multipurpose Terminal, an engineering marvel in its own right after a two-year $67-million rebuild.

“The arrival of the cranes is quite a spectacle that illustrates the magnitude of what is unfolding at the Irving Shipyard,” George Malec, vice-president of business development and operations for the authority, said in an interview.

“It’s a wonderful coincidence the cranes are arriving just as the rebuild of the terminal nears completion.”

There are a few finishing touches to be completed at the terminal after the reconstruction program to allow the facility to accommodate large ships with oversized cargo items like specialty cranes, wind turbines or other components for megaprojects.

Malec said the terminal will handle break-bulk cargo — items unsuitable for shipping containers — and, with its 75,000-square-feet storage shed, will augment other Port of Halifax infrastructure such as the Fairview Cove and South End container terminals and cruise ship facilities at the Halifax Seaport.

The massive cranes are destined for the Halifax Shipyard next to the terminal.

They will be critical components of the Ultra Hall Production Building, currently under construction.

Each crane weighs about 250 tonnes and spans about the full height and width of the new production building, which is about 47 metres tall and 55 metres wide.

“The entire installation process will take approximately three weeks,” said Deborah Page, spokeswoman for Irving Shipbuilding.

“They will be used to move large blocks and megablocks that will form the vessels.”

She said the bridge cranes, each with a lift capacity of up to 200 tonnes, are part of Irving Shipbuilding’s $300-million investment to prepare the shipyard for the building of Canada’s new naval combat vessels, starting in September.

Components of the cranes will be assembled at the site and hoisted up more than 47 metres, and then lowered into place through an opening in the roof of the production building.